I have witnessed a horrific event and need to talk about it

[Wardah]

I'm not saying that you can't have the opinion that it is wrong but you can express that opinion without insulting people or making light of something as serious as child abuse. One of my friends was abused and it is not something as simple or brief as a piercing.

[Tom-sprite]

This topic was already discussed sufficiently so there is no need to add fuel to the fire. Its all too obvious who s still up for conflict.That figures.
Some are pro others are not. FULL STOP! There was enough defending et cetera.
There is freedom of expression so why should radiant bridge keep quiet about her feelings. I think those who disagree with her haven t got the right to condemn her or teach her a lesson about morale generally.Maybe she has even higher standards of morale compared to others ... maybe her words about parents who pierce her babies only came out of her cause she wasn t able to cope with what she has experienced. I am sure she was simply shocked and reacted angry. I think this is completely tolerable.
I suggest to close this thread Marco cause the mudslinging is disgusting to track and the cynical drivel starts to unnerve me.

[Rainbowbrite84]

maybe her words about parents who pierce her babies only came out of her cause she wasn t able to cope with what she has experienced. I am sure she was simply shocked and reacted angry. I think this is completely tolerable.

If that we're true than Radian Bridge would have already come on here and apologized for her rude and insulting words. But the truth is, she meant exactly what she said and she didn't care who on this board she offended. And she still doesn't care.
She obviously posted this story so people could sympathize with her. Well guess what? No one is going to sympathize with you when lash out and start insulting people. I can honestly say, that if Radiant Bridge had come here and simply stated that she witness the infant ear piercing and was bothered because she doesn't agree with it, I would have been sympathetic to her story. But instead she choose to declare that people like me are child abusers that need to be sterilized. With harsh words like that, you're asking for a fight.
No one is saying that Radiant Bridge needs to change her view of infant ear piercing because that isn't what has everyone upset. If you don't believe in it, then fine. But if you want people to be sensitive to what you believe in, then approach the situation correctly.

[TheWendybird]

*sigh* Look, this just happened with one of my Phantom of the Opera friends who came online and ended up telling people she didn't think people should ever get married unless they intend to have kids. The exact same series of events happened...she was offensive to those who don't ever want kids biologically or ever...she said "truth hurts" so it was the WAY she said it...and in turn..many got offended by her. The friendships ended because she simply couldn't understand why said people were offended. Bottom line is. this.....everyone is allowed their opinion..but when you voice an opinion you must be open to the fact that many people are going to disagree with you (depending what it is of course). You cannot voice an opinion and then get pissed off when other people voice theirs. People can have an opinion about your opinion as well. Everyone is entitled to that. I don't think mudslinging is ok but so far I have no idea what the previous poster is talking about with that. I have not seen mudslinging in this thread except for the original poster talking about sterilization for anyone who pierces their babies ears. I was abused much of my life....piercings are hardly abuse. Anyone who has been abused would be more wise in their usage of the word. Are piercings right? That's up to each individual. There may be children who grew up and hated having earrings..some might be grateful they had it done as a baby so they don't need to deal with it now. Not everyone fits into this narrow box where you can say it's child abuse. There are plenty of babies who don't shed a tear over piercing.

[Chibi Rachy]

If that we're true than Radian Bridge would have already come on here and apologized for her rude and insulting words. But the truth is, she meant exactly what she said and she didn't care who on this board she offended. And she still doesn't care.
She obviously posted this story so people could sympathize with her. Well guess what? No one is going to sympathize with you when lash out and start insulting people. I can honestly say, that if Radiant Bridge had come here and simply stated that she witness the infant ear piercing and was bothered because she doesn't agree with it, I would have been sympathetic to her story. But instead she choose to declare that people like me are child abusers that need to be sterilized. With harsh words like that, you're asking for a fight.
No one is saying that Radiant Bridge needs to change her view of infant ear piercing because that isn't what has everyone upset. If you don't believe in it, then fine. But if you want people to be sensitive to what you believe in, then approach the situation correctly.

Very nicely said, and well put. If the original post had been worded differently to not insult parents who choose to pierce their baby, then the reactions would have been different. It's one thing to disagree with the process, but another thing to insult those who choose to use it. If you want to convince people of your opinions, then it's best not to insult them along the way. Someone is more likely to be able to see your point if they don't feel attacked or that someone close to them is being attacked.

[Tom-sprite]

Isn t it somehow exaggerated to feel attacked by a statement/opinion which
isn t adressed directly to anybody of this board specifically ? No usernames were used by her ... she told her story simply based on her feelings/impressions of this horrible day at the shopping mall.
No ... I think radiant bridge mustn t apologize.
She felt angry about what she saw and said something over the top.
Everybody tends to do that from time to time.
I call that double standards.
Look who's talking and stop leaping at radiant bridge like hyenas cause nobody is the perfect moral entity.
What's the point anyway?
I think you guys have the right to disagree but that s all.
You don t have the right to force a apology or palaver her with sermons.

[Chibi Rachy]

Blanket statements do not need to be directed at a specific person. They are directed at a group of people. Whether in public or online, if a person hears the statement and is affected by it, they are going to feel insulted.

In the OP's post, there is a statement about parents and sterilization. You have parents on this board who choose to do this to their child, and you also have users on this board whose parents did it to them as babies. Depending on which of those two applies to a user, you've either insulted their parenting or their parents. Then there's also the use of the word abuse. It is a very strong word, but perhaps a bit too strong. There are users who have been abused or have someone close who has been abused. You may feel it was the correct term to use to describe the situation, but they do not. I will not speak for the others, but I will say that when I first saw this thread with the words "baby" and "abuse", I thought of something else completely.

This isn't something that could happen on just an Internet forum or site. These statements are made in public, whether in groups of people who know each other, or among strangers. When one makes a blanket statement, it's best to consider how the others will react. If your blanket statement would affect someone in that group, you might want to save it for another time, or carefully word the statement. If you're not sure, perhaps it's best not to say it at all.

[Tom-sprite]

Blanket statements do not need to be directed at a specific person. They are directed at a group of people. Whether in public or online, if a person hears the statement and is affected by it, they are going to feel insulted.

Depends whether you are in the mood to get angry about it or not. Not applicable for me as a individual person.I would not generalize that and I do not think that it is universal what you said !
I can pass on overly didactic sermons even if they are well-meant by the way.
You re not at school.Adults do not need to be teached lessons about morale.
I will not write anything more about that. Opinions differ sometimes.

[SunSpire]

I think what the original poster was trying to achieve is to get a bit of sympathy after she witnessed something that made her feel very miserable that day. Her initial wording may have been a bit upfront, but I doubt she said it to attack anyone on here or parents in general.

At the end of the day it's probably best to 'agree to disagree' - and I'm hereby closing the thread because everything has been said really, let's move on guys

SunSpire